UA falls short of meeting its goals

Although the Undergraduate Assembly made headway in safety and dining-related issues this semester, members said they were unable to achieve many of their goals. According to UA Chairperson and College junior Tal Golomb, although a number of UA members have not been very active this semester, the committee structure was successful. "Ideally, everyone elected would make the UA a top priority, but that never happens," Golomb said. "The attendance rate has been quite high, and we have a good amount of people who have been highly engaged and committed," he added. The Academics Committee spent the semester conducting an advising survey and is currently writing a report on its findings, chairperson and College sophomore Mark Sagat said. Sagat said he hoped the report would be ready sooner, but getting an adequate number of surveys completed and compiling statistics was more difficult than anticipated. Facilities Committee Chairperson Noah Bilenker, a College sophomore, said his committee has been involved with the Biddison Hier facilities audit. It also worked with the Performing Arts Council to ensure groups will have space while Irvine Auditorium and Houston Hall are renovated. The committee was able to achieve small goals, such as installing recycling bins in each room of Van Pelt College House, Bilenker said. But he added that he was disappointed the administration rejected a proposal to make the former Sports Medicine site at 33rd and Spruce streets into a temporary recreational weightroom. Administrators said they didn't want to put money into a temporary facility because a new complex will be built within the next 10 years. "We've been hearing a lot about long-term solutions, but it seems the short term is being overlooked," Bilenker said. The Safety Committee worked with other student groups to improve campus safety in response to the recent crime wave, chairperson and College sophomore Courtney Fine said. Fine said the committee pressed the administration for more police presence and better lighting. And the group planned activities like safety week to increase student awareness of safety issues. "I would have liked to impact more people, but there is only so much we can do," she said. "We reach out to a lot of people, but if more students used the UA as a resource we could be even more effective," she said. The Student Life Committee has worked to establish a Committee for Tangible Change. It is planning a Winterfest for next Monday and Tuesday, according to Chairperson Samara Barend, a College sophomore. The committee also advocated expanding the Lunch Express program to Class of 1920 Commons and later hours for Chats, which Barend said will soon be open until 2 a.m. Barend said she wished the committee could have succeeded in lengthening hours at Gimbel or Hutchinson gymnasiums for late-night basketball. However, she said she is hopeful about future implementation. The Budget Committee was not able to get a breakdown of the General Fee. UA Treasurer and Wharton junior Steve Schorr said he plans to ask for a line-by-line breakdown, excluding salary information, at today's University Council meeting.